bock, bock, ba-gock!!

Yet again, I have waited entirely too long to post on this thing. I am always amazed by those with the discipline it takes to keep them updated. I guess I haven't had much of a story to tell til now. As with most summers for me this one was a busy one. I went to two camps and a mission trip to Nicaragua with the youth that I work with. I loved every trip and wouldn't trade any of them. I did manage to come back from my stay in Nicaragua with a little friend I now refer to as "Sal". You see she has suffered somewhat of a name change. She was once called "Mal". AKA MALARIA. Yes my sweets, I was diagnosed on Tuesday with Malaria. Last time I checked that was a pretty big deal. I got this diagnosis after a night of toiling with death (or so I thought). I really thought I was going to die. I planned the funeral and everything. I managed to put together some words for my husband, parents and brother as a final good bye. I mean I really thought that the angel of death was holding my hand (really). I guess that's what a really high fever will do to you...Make you crazy. Upon finding out my diagnosis I was told to get to the hospital immediately for treatment of my new friend.

After arriving to the hospital and checking in I managed to go from a 99.8 fever to 103.3 in about 20 minutes. I knew it was the angel of death coming for me. Maybe I wasn't so crazy. Finally the doctor came in to break the news that I did not in fact have malaria, but a gram negative rod bacteria that formed in my blood (that's a fancy way of saying you have something, but we don't know what it is). This started a night full of blood tests, urine tests, and other tests that are just too gross to talk about...not to mention the iv and antibiotic drips that have really bad side affects (just use your imagination) After spending three days and two nights in a luxury hospital room I was finally diagnosed with Salmonella poisoning. Sent on my merry way with antibiotics out the wazoo and more to come when I got home. I knew I was ready to be home, but I still felt horrible. So I decided today to get on the information network and google salmonella. You'll never guess what I found. Apparently when salmonella is so bad it's in your blood death is very possible. Yet again, I knew I wasn't so crazy. So after calling my dad in uncontrollable tears and proclaimed to him that I was in fact going to die he managed to talk me off a ledge. So my new friend Sal has brought many a laugh from death to sponge baths (that's a whole other story). Now as I type this still salmonella infested I feel a little bit better. I won't be eating any chicken or salad for a while, but I'll be fine.